A tipster reported a rumor today that we’ve heard a couple of times over the past week and a half:

Word on the street is that Mayer Brown had big layoffs today.

The problem is, that was the word on the street yesterday. And Tuesday. And last week the word on the street was that Mayer Brown associates would be on the street by Friday.

We’ve spent a lot of time sleeping on the street. At this point, we haven’t yet talked to one associate who has actually been laid off from Mayer Brown. Still, there’s an awful lot of chatter out there.

Mayer Brown weighs in, after the jump.

The firm offered this statement in response to our information:

Despite the current conditions in the worldwide financial markets, Mayer Brown is having a strong year and most of its practices have performed well. Our practice area and geographic diversity has served us well. A few practice areas, however, have been affected by the slowdown in economic activity. We are conducting a firm-wide evaluation of our current and future staffing needs and will have more to say when that process is completed.

It certainly sounds like some people are going to be let go by Mayer Brown. But who (associates? staff?) and how many are still up in the air.

If they do lay people off, at least they are not going to be “stealthy” about it.

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